Staff Reporter

WINDHOEK – The United States of America’s efforts to provide assistance to foreign countries to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria will continue until 2023 after United States of America. President Donald Trump signed the “PEPFAR (U.S President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) Extension Act of 2018” into law last week Tuesday. 

This signing extends the provisions made in the “United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003” for an additional five years reauthorising U.S investment in PEPFAR and the Global Fund through 2023.  The U.S’s absolute commitment to the fight against infectious diseases like HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, and malaria was reaffirmed when the Bill passed by unanimous consent in the Senate and voice vote in the House. 

PEPFAR is the U.S. government’s anti-HIV/Aids foreign aid program, originally launched by President George W. Bush. 
PEPFAR was established by the Global AIDS Act of 2003 and renewed in 2008 and 2013. It is the single-largest global health initiative targeting a single disease in history. 

PEPFAR has helped more than 2.4 million babies be born HIV-free, and currently provides support for antiretroviral treatment for 14.6 million people, both directly and through technical support to partner countries. 

According to the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador Deborah Birx, “This marks another significant moment in the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief’s (PEPFAR) history of lifesaving work. In the past 15 years, PEPFAR has enjoyed tremendous bipartisan support from eight U.S. congresses and has been supported by three consecutive U.S. presidents. Since its inception, PEPFAR has saved over 17 million lives, prevented millions of HIV infections, and transformed the global AIDS response from death and despair to life and hope.”
For the fiscal year 2019, PEPFAR Namibia’s operating budget is US $71.6 million (N$1 billion).